1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to sinks, and more specifically to a wash receptacle splash guard having arm supports in association with an elevated splash guard. In accord with the invention, an adjustable section may also be provided, to accommodate a wide variety of sinks and basins.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern conveniences save many people time. Nevertheless, there are always limitations inherent in machines, no matter how well designed. There are also situations that are not readily addressed by mass-produced equipment or machines. Consequently, there continues to be a need for human alternatives. This is true of dishwashing as well, which is done by hand by many people. While dishwashers serve many medium-sized families, larger pots and pans do not utilize space within the dishwasher well. Furthermore, pots and pans can be difficult or impossible to completely clean within the dishwasher, depending upon the foods that were prepared and the cooking techniques used. Consequently, many persons will still fill a sink with warm, soapy water either during or after cooking to clean these more difficult dishes. Also, smaller households with only one or two persons will not generate enough dishes to fill a dishwasher even through several meals, making the dishwasher a warm storage area which can be unpleasant and potentially unsanitary between washes. So, in many households, washing dishes by hand still remains the most appropriate method of cleaning dishes, pots and pans.
Other circumstances may prevent application of a machine such as a dishwasher. For example, many countries do not have an infrastructure or economics to support machines. This may be due to a lack of suitable power source, or may be due to less financial capability to purchase and operate the machine on the part of individuals within a particular geographic region. In yet other instances, many areas have inadequate water supplies that may prohibit the use of a dishwasher.
In addition to dishwashing, other chores will also require the use of a sink or basin of water. Cleaning and preparing foods, particularly such as carrots and potatoes, various laundering chores, and other such activities will require a person to work from the sink or basin. Commercial or industrial chores may also require a person to work within a sink or basin of one form or another. Commercial establishments from hospitals to restaurants and even including such diverse businesses as auto repair shops will use basins or sinks with various liquids or cleaning solvents for cleaning or other processes.
Unfortunately, particularly with liquids of low viscosity including water or soapy water, the processes used in the sink or basin may sometimes result in splashing or spraying of the liquid. This may be particularly true where various cleaning brushes are used, since the brush bristles will tend to flex or snap when coming off of a surface. This motion is generally beneficial to the removal of dirt or other contaminants from the surface. Unfortunately, the dirt may then be propelled by the bristle for quite some distance. Vegetable and potato brushes, bottle brushes and other similar type of cleaning tools are frequently associated with a flinging of contaminated cleaning solution. Splashing of water during spraying or rinsing of items within a sink or basin, or the occasional dropped item will also lead to undesirable splashing, as will more aggressive cleaning techniques and other events.
The splashing of cleaning liquids can present special problems, depending upon the particular liquid and the item being cleaned or processed within the sink or basin. In a commercial restaurant or food establishment, a person may spend many hours at the sink each day washing dishes. The person all too often will be leaning forward over or sideways against the sink supporting pots, pans or other dishes and utensils during scrubbing, washing and rinsing. This can be physically demanding, since the extension of the person's arms forward over the sink for extended periods will place a great deal of stress upon the person's arms, shoulders and back. This type of strain is detrimental, and will prevent some otherwise suitable people from being able to continue working in this type of job. Furthermore, during the course of a work shift, a large quantity of water may undesirably be sprayed beyond the sink onto the person, making the worker much less comfortable. Where particularly messy dishes or pans are being cleaned, this may also result in the staining or messing of the worker's clothing, which is also undesirable. However, the sink cannot simply be made deeper or with higher walls, since the person must still be able to reach into the sink and down to the bottom. Furthermore, there are occasional items that must be cleaned within the sink that are too large even to fit therein, and a sink which had higher walls would not accommodate these over-sized items.
In a hospital environment, where bio-hazardous or staining liquids may be processed through a sink, containment within the sink will be highly desirable. In this environment, the splash guard will most preferably shed liquid without adverse reaction or retention, and will provide an ample shield for the user to reduce or eliminate the need for additional precautionary measures such as clothes changes or extensive post-handling sterilization techniques.
In an industrial environment, various solvents may be used that will also most preferably be contained within the sink for later re-use or safe disposal. As with the other applications for the present invention, brushes and other cleaning tools will frequently be used. The mess created by using brushes and special tools will also most desirably be contained within a sink or basin.
Several patents in the prior art have attempted to address some of the problems that are solved by the present invention. For example, Warman in U.S. Pat. No. 2,508,808 illustrates an anti-splash shield that combines a number of suction cups with a flexible sheet plastic material. Most desirably, the Warman anti-splash shield provides an elevated lip about a sink or wash basin that effectively deepens the sink, while still allowing a person the flexibility to remove the shield when appropriate. Unfortunately, the Warman invention provides no support for a person's arms. In contrast to the present invention, this then requires the person to reach higher over the guard than would have been necessary with the sink alone, and also deeper to get into the bottom of the sink or basin. This, unfortunately, compounds the fatigue experienced by workers such as dishwashers, who spend many hours each day reaching down and forward to support the items being washed.
A number of other splash guards are illustrated, including U.S. Pat. No. 562,459 to Davis; U.S. Pat. No. 622,595 to Boehringer; U.S. Pat. No. 685,341 to McHale; U.S. Pat. No. 1,225,256 to Lambrix; U.S. Pat. No. 1,302,658 to Henning; U.S. Pat. No. 1,355,086 to Beebe; U.S. Pat. No. 1,408,812 to Leighton; U.S. Pat. No. 1,618,032 to Wilkes; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,910 to Erickson et al. These additional documents also provide splash protection, and illustrate various geometries and methods of attachment to wash basins and sinks. Nevertheless, in the prior art there still exists a need for a splash guard that provides workers relief from burdensome physical positioning and which also overcomes other limitations of the prior art.